Governor signs bill raising Wisconsin speed limit

Wisconsin drivers will soon be able to drive 70 miles an hour on many highways across the state.

Governor Scott Walker on Wednesday signed legislation clearing the way for the Department of Transportation to raise the speed limit on many sections of the state’s highway and interstate systems. Walker’s office noted in a release that the higher speed limits will not take effect until highway signs are posted reflecting the change.

The bill was authored by state Representative Paul Tittl (R-Manitowoc), who says the idea came to him while driving from his district to Madison. The Manitowoc Republican says he tried once to make the entire trip sticking to the 65 mph speed limit that was posted, and quickly found himself being “scowled at by little old ladies” and being passed “hundreds of times.”

Tittl notes that Wisconsin is actually an island in a stretch of states from Pennsylvania to the Washington that all have a speed limit about 65.

Some transportation advocates have raised concerns that the higher limit will just encourage some people to drive even faster than they already are. Tittl says there will be some people always looking to push the limits, which is why the State Patrol is there to enforce the laws.